New York Senate Bill S05194

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/19/25
• Refer: 2/19/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Requires each town, village, and city to develop a "housing action plan for everyone", including consideration of local needs and specific strategies to address those local needs.

Summary

This bill would require every city, town, and village in New York to adopt a “housing action plan for everyone” aimed at increasing the supply of available housing. Each local government would need to update its plan at least every five years, and the plan would have to address local infrastructure needs, available land, opportunities to redevelop underused buildings, housing costs, income levels, and at-risk areas. The bill also directs local governments to identify specific strategies for meeting those needs. The legislation explicitly encourages a range of housing-supply tools that local plans may include, such as legalizing accessory dwelling units, creating transit-oriented development zones, reducing or eliminating parking minimums, streamlining environmental and discretionary review, and allowing as-of-right and mixed-use development. It also requires local governments to consider housing targets across multiple area median income bands, from extremely low-income households up to households at 100% of AMI, and to involve planning boards or appointed groups in drafting the plans.

Impact

The bill would amend the General City Law, Town Law, and Village Law by adding new sections that impose a statewide planning requirement on cities, towns, and villages. It would require each municipality to prepare, publicly post, file with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, and hold a public hearing on its housing action plan, with completion generally required within 12 months of the effective date and a possible one-time three-month extension for substantially completed plans. Regional economic development offices would also be tasked with helping municipalities identify grants and funding sources for implementation.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a housing-supply and planning initiative rather than a controversial enforcement bill. Its structure suggests a policy approach focused on local flexibility, technical planning, and incentives rather than direct mandates on specific zoning outcomes. The overall tone is pro-housing and pro-development, with an emphasis on increasing supply and reducing barriers to construction.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are likely to be the bill’s statewide mandate on local governments and its encouragement of zoning and permitting changes that can be politically sensitive, such as accessory dwelling units, reduced parking requirements, transit-oriented development, and streamlined review processes. Local officials or residents concerned about home-rule authority, neighborhood character, infrastructure capacity, or density may view the required planning process as burdensome or as pressure toward upzoning. Supporters would likely emphasize that the bill leaves final plan content to local legislative bodies while requiring them to confront housing shortages in a structured way.